Gun Victim Brady Calls Congress `Gutless`

WASHINGTON — Former White House press secretary Jim Brady, the victim of a 1981 handgun shooting that confined him to a wheelchair, scolded Congress as

``gutless`` Tuesday and urged lawmakers to pass a law that would make it harder to buy the weapons.

Brady, shot in the head in the 1981 assassination attempt on former President Ronald Reagan, told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee: ``I know that many members of Congress don`t want to stand up for the Brady Bill because of all the aggravation they`d get from the gun lobby. Well, their aggravation is minimal compared to the aggravation I face every day, every minute of my life.``

His appeal came a day after the Justice Department released the results of a study on the feasibility of the waiting period, which would be designed to enable police to check prospective gun purchasers for criminal records.

The study, commissioned by Congress a year ago, rejected the idea of a waiting period, saying it would not snare all felons, many of whom purchase guns on the black market. Instead, it recommended moving toward the use of computerized, point-of-sale background checks, which could take four to five years to develop.

The study was requested as an alternative to passing the so-called Brady Bill, which would have mandated the waiting period. The bill was introduced as a result of the intensive lobbying efforts of Handgun Control Inc., founded by Brady`s wife, Sarah.

``I have tried to convey the devastating consequences that the lack of a waiting period has had on Jim, on our life together, and on the life of our son Scott,`` she said. ``Maybe with Jim`s appearance here today, Congress will finally get the message.``

The National Rifle Association has been equally energetic in its lobbying efforts against the bill, saying it would result in the harassment of innocent gun owners and lead to more controls. The legislation is supported by several police groups, including the National Fraternal Order of Police.

Brady said he was testifying out of ``anger at a Congress that just a year ago failed to pass a measure which would reduce the handgun violence plaguing our nation.``

``I had no choice but to be here today because too many members of Congress have been gutless on this issue,`` he said. ``There are too many cowardly lions walking the halls of Congress.

``They have closed their eyes to tragedies like mine. They ignore the statistics. Well, this statistic has decided to break his silence.``

Brady suffered massive brain damage as a result of the shooting and has had to relearn many basic functions, including reading and writing.

``Yes, I experience pain-pain sometimes so intense I cry,`` he told the subcommittee in his first testimony since the shooting. ``But nothing is harder than losing the independence and control we all so value in life. I need help getting out of bed, taking a shower and help getting dressed. And, damn it, I even need help to go to the bathroom.``

Sen. Paul Simon (D., Ill.), who chaired the hearing and is a cosponsor of the bill, described the Justice Department report as ``a gigantic waffle`` and said it was ``very disappointing`` that Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh had not recommended a plan of action. ``Just because a system isn`t perfect . . . doesn`t mean we shouldn`t do anything at all,`` Simon said.

He said that an Illinois statute requiring a 72-hour waiting period had prevented 2,470 convicted felons from buying guns in 1988.

Other senators at the hearing said Thornburgh had broken his word to Congress by not developing a plan to identify gun buyers with criminal records.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) attacked the bill, saying it would be ``used to harass innocent sportsmen`` whose names might match those of convicted felons. He left the room before Brady testified.

John Hinckley, acquitted of the attack on Reagan and Brady on grounds of insanity, did not have a criminal record, but a background check would have revealed that he had put a false address on the form he filled out when he bought the gun.